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"And then for those thy dearest and thy best
The prodigals from thine own Fold, dear Lord,
Whom thy strong arms held closely to thy breast,
Laved with thy Jordan, feasted at thy board:
Calling, go forth to meet them, Saviour dear;
Embrace them with the grace to persevere.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: Return of all Lapsed Catholics 

(Form of prayer decreed by Pope Benedict XV: to be recited Daily during the Octave.  + One decade (at least) of the Rosary for this particular intention, Holy Communion if possible.)

 Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.

 ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,

 ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

•  Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.
• Lord Jesus, most gracious savior of the world, we humbly beg of Thee by Thy most Sacred heart, that all the sheep now wandering astray may be converted to Thee, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls: Who livest and reignest through all eternity. Amen (Pius X, 26 Oct., 1905)

Source: The Church Unity Octave, 1939  American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 100

Reflection:

"This intention has a note of urgency and tragedy about it. These souls, fallen from God's grace and living in sin, were born into the supernatural life. They were once members of Christ who knew the power and love of God in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, and quickened under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. They once loved their spiritual Mother Mary who directed their paths and heeded their lisping Aves.
But all that is past. Once heirs of paradise, they have forsaken their destiny for the "mess of pottage" of personal ambition, of material success, or of an unlawful marriage. But just as the Divine Shepherd seeks for the lost, so Mary, the Divine Shepherdess, by her prayers and love seeks for those who have separated themselves from the Church. Mary longs to bring them back, she desires to welcome them once more in their home.

How many souls have returned to the practice of their faith by the persistent devotion of some old mother, of a faithful wife, of a fervent religious? How many have returned, after years of separation, because they were faithful, for no reason they could explain, to some little practice of devotion to Mary? Their number is legion; every soul that comes back in repentance, every heart that is stung by remorse, every shoulder bowed with grief, is a constant memorial to the mother love of the Blessed Virgin.

There is a story of the Blessed Virgin Mary's influence over one of her "straying children." A priest was called to the slum section of an eastern city. Dirty-faced urchins met him on the sidewalk and led him to the dank cellar of a foul-smelling tenement. There beside the furnace, in a welter of soiled clothing, empty bottles, and cigarette butts, on a rusty cot lay a woman wrapped in a man's overcoat. She groaned in intense pain. The eldest of the children, a girl of eleven, said: "Here's a priest to see you." The woman turned and screamed: "Get out of here!" Then someone dragged over an empty beer case and the priest sat on it beside the cot. He spoke kindly to the woman, telling her that she was dying and it was time for her to make her peace with God. She continued to call him the foulest names. Finally the priest knelt and in a low voice began the Rosary. At first it was an odd combination of prayer and blasphemy, but as the Hail Marys continued the woman became silent; tears filled her bloodshot eyes. As she said later, when the priest said the Rosary, memories came back to her - memories of her girlhood in the mid-west, of her mother and father, of her brothers and sisters.... of herself... all kneeling around the dining room table saying the Rosary before the May shrine of Our Lady with a little white candle burning before it. She had been so good then; she was so evil now. At the last decade she answered the priest: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinner now and at the hour of our death." She went to confession, received the Eucharist, and died peacefully."

Source: Rev. Father Titus Cranny, S.A. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

NOVENA PRAYER FOR THE RETURN OF LAPSED CATHOLICS: O Good Shepherd, You never cease to seek out the lost, to call home the stray, to comfort the frightened, and to bind up the wounded. I ask You to bring (mention names)….. back to the practice of the Faith, and to remove all obstacles that prevent them from receiving Your abundant mercy, which flows sacramentally through the heart of Your Holy Church.
Through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, their Guardian Angel(s), their Patron Saint(s) and the ever-prayerful Saint Monica, may You pardon their sins and unshackle them from whatever hinders their freedom to come Home. For You, O Good Shepherd, loved us to the end and offered Yourself to the Father For the salvation of all. Amen

24. We adore Thee, Son of the ever-glorious Virgin! And to make a general reparation, as much as lies in our power, for all the indignities Thou hast suffered from men, since the institution of this Adorable Mystery, we have recourse to Thy Holy Mother, looking upon her, as, under Thee, the greatest and most secure refuge of sinners.  Eternal praise and thanksgiving be to the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament.

O Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, who adores thy Divine Son incessantly! We entreat thee, that, since we have the honor to be of the number of thy children, thou would interest thyself in our behalf and make satisfaction for us, and in our name, to our Eternal Judge, by rendering to Him the duties which we ourselves are incapable of performing. Amen.

"I. At length, when it seemed as if God had almost forgotten His well-beloved Son, the summons came to return to the land of Israel. An angel appeared to Joseph with the welcome news that those who had sought the life of Jesus were dead, and that therefore they might go back in safety. Those who are willing to wait are sure to obtain their desires. It is impatience and the restless desire for immediate relief that leads to so many disappointments. In the things of God, as in all else, it is those who wait who win.

2. How full of joy were the hearts of Joseph and Mary as they neared once more their native land! Like all the saints, they had an intense love for their country and their people and their home. Holy indifference does not mean that we have no natural affections for kindred and for fatherland, but that those affections are entirely subordinate to the will of God.

3. If the people of Egypt knew not that their God was dwelling among them, they knew that they had amongst them those who were the special friends of God. Mary and Joseph had endeared themselves to all around by their gentleness, charity. Patience, courtesy, humility, and thoughtful kindness to all. To them how terrible a grief was the departure of the Holy Family! Do I endear myself to those among whom I live? "

Meditations for Christmas . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891

"Ten thousand times ten thousand - Who are these
Of every tongue and language gathered here
In our own land? Send forth thy quickening breeze
Which guided to these shores our Christopher
And thy strong grace in Pentecostal flame
To make all one in calling on thy Name.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: Catholic Unity for all American Christians (For the conversion of the Protestants of America)

(Form of prayer decreed by Pope Benedict XV: to be recited Daily during the Octave.  + One decade (at least) of the Rosary for this particular intention, Holy Communion if possible.)

 Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.

 ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,

 ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

•  Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.
• Lord Jesus, most gracious savior of the world, we humbly beg of Thee by Thy most Sacred heart, that all the sheep now wandering astray may be converted to Thee, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls: Who livest and reignest through all eternity. Amen (Pius X, 26 Oct., 1905)

Source: The Church Unity Octave, 1939  American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 100

Reflection:

"The object of prayer for this day should be especially dear to all the faithful in the United States. Our own land, dedicated to the Mother of God under the title of the Immaculate Conception, should be noted for its love for Mary. To some extent, it is true, this love has been shown, from the coming of Christopher Columbus in his Santa Maria to the Rosary Rallies, the widespread Legion of Mary and Sodality organizations of the present day. But such tribute is not complete. Mary seeks the souls of all in America, of all the members of more than three hundred sects cut off from the Church.
If the Catholic laity of our nation were imbued with the dignity and glory of their vocation as lay apostles, what tremendous strides the Church would make! If each Catholic brought just one soul a year to the Church, in five years all America would be Catholic. True, this is idealistic, but it is surely a goal worthy of sacrifice and prayer.

There has been no appreciable change of attitude towards the Church in this country. The attacks today are fundamentally the same as they were a century ago, but here and there admiration bespeaks an interest in things Catholic and under the aegis of grace, admirable can lead to conversion. For example, a Methodist ministers in Brooklyn said two years ago (1952):

"I like Roman Catholicism because it is the mother Church. The bulk of our traditions have been preserved by this great institution. I like Roman Catholicism because it is Catholic, it is a Church militant which always has had a passion for souls. I like Roman Catholicism for its discipline. In this day when we are discovering how important to health and happiness is peace of mind, it is well to re-examine the basic principles of confession. I like Roman Catholicism, most of all for its realism. It is one Christian Church which takes itself most seriously. When a Roman communicant comes to Mass, he comes to the presence of Christ. There is no room in his faith for any doubt of this reality."

Unfortunately, one of the chief difficulties for the Protestant mind is devotion to the Mother of God. But even in this matter patience and charity can do much to dispel the spiritual iron curtain with which so many have surrounded themselves. The faithful must pray for those who are not members of the Church and be ready apostles in explaining the faith whenever they have the opportunity.

The forums, the trailer chapels, the information centers, all are valuable means of bringing souls to the faith; while the efforts, at times heroic, of priest, Brothers, and Sisters laboring in the vast areas of the south and west have wrought incalculable results. But these are not the only missions to the non-Catholics. In our large cities there are thousands and millions who do not have the true faith. How will they be converted? When? By whom? In the providence of God it seems that the principal way of bringing souls to Christ is the humble unheralded activity of lay Catholics, conscious of their duty and dignity in spreading the faith. Any sphere of activity, any walk of life, any circumstance can be significant. There is a story told of a little Sister who won a convert simply because she signed "God bless you" in a business letter. Countless others awaken the first interest in the faith by a kind act, a smile, a courteous gesture. There are so many possibilities of apostolic action for those who love Christ and His mother."

Source: Rev. Father Titus Cranny, S.A. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

"O Michael, who hast strongly kept the way
Invaders sought, and hast undone their boast:
With thee may blest Saint Boniface now pray
And Mary Queen of Peace, and heav'nly host
That all misled by heresy, may search
The paths and find the Way of Holy Church.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: Return of European Protestants (For the conversion of the Lutherans and Protestants of Europe)

(Form of prayer decreed by Pope Benedict XV: to be recited Daily during the Octave.  + One decade (at least) of the Rosary for this particular intention, Holy Communion if possible.)

 Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.

 ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,

 ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

•  Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.
• Lord Jesus, most gracious savior of the world, we humbly beg of Thee by Thy most Sacred heart, that all the sheep now wandering astray may be converted to Thee, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls: Who livest and reignest through all eternity. Amen (Pius X, 26 Oct., 1905)

Source: The Church Unity Octave, 1939  American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 100

Reflection:

"There is little to be gained in criticizing Martin Luther today. Rather men should pray that those who follow him may come to a realization of the gift that he, and those who follow him, flung aside: veneration for the Mother of God. As a young priest Luther wrote and preached beautiful tributes to Mary. Even after he nailed his ninety-fives theses to the door of Wittenburg's Cathedral and turned his back on his Lord, he wrote in a commentary on the Magnificat: "If I had as many tongues as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore, or leaves of all the forests, and if with all these tongues I did nothing but praise Mary day and night, I could never say anything half so glorious to her as that which is expressed in the single phrase: "Thou art the Mother of God."
In a short while he repudiated Our Lady too, but among his followers devotion to the Virgin did not die so quickly. In many places in the sixteenth century the Lutherans continued to celebrate the feast of the Assumption with meetings and canticles because the people would not give up the festival. (...)

During the Holy Year of 1950 a Lutheran minister, Richard Baumann, made a pilgrimage to Rome. In writing of his experiences he frequently alluded to the Blessed Virgin. Of the Rosary he said: "...when the rosary is said, truth sinks in to the subconscious like a slow and steady downpour, the hammered sentences of the catechism receive an indelible validity for precisely the little ones..." He made special note of the fact that the symbolical books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church use the following phrases: "Mary, the pure, the holy, the ever-virgin, the God-Bearer, truly the Mother of God, worthy of the amplest praises. She will that we follow her example. She prays for the Church."

For the first time in four hundred years the sons of St. Francis have returned to Norway. The land that produced its St. Olaf and St. Magnus, its St. Hallvard and St. Eyestein is beginning to re-echo with the liturgy of the Church and its Aves in honor of the Mother of God. St. Canute of Denmark will live in other sons of the Church and St. Bridget and St. Catherine of Sweden will rise once more as modern heroines of God's family, if only a sufficient number of missioners will take the torch of faith and carry it full-flaming among men who know it not. In the prayer of the famous Barnabite priest, Fr. Karl Schilling, who labored so extensively for the conversion of the Scandinavian people, we ask divine blessings: "Good Jesus, I humbly fall at Thy feet and pray Thee by Thy holy wounds and by Thy Precious Blood which Thou has shed for the whole world, to look in mercy upon the Scandinavian people. Let astray hundreds of year ago, they are now separated from Thy Church and denied the inestimable benefit of the Sacrament of Thy Body and Blood, and also the many other means of grace which Thou hast instituted for the consolation of the faithful in life and in death.

Remember, O Saviour of the world, that for these souls also Thou didst shed Thy Precious Blood and endure untold sufferings.
Good Shepherd, lead these Thy sheep back to the wholesome pastures of Thy Church, so that they may be on flock together with us under Thy Vicar here on earth - the Bishop of Rome, who in the person of the Holy Apostle Peter was commissioned by Thee to care both for the lambs and for the sheep.

Hear, O merciful Jesus, these our petitions, which we make to Thee with full trust in the love of Thy Sacred Heart towards us, and to Thy Holy Name be glory, honor, and praise through all eternity."

Source: Rev. Father Titus Cranny, S.A. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

"1. For seven long years the Holy Family remained in the land of Egypt. From day to day they knew not whether they were to spend all their days in banishment, far from the dear land of Israel, or to return thither it might be on the morrow; yet no shade of impatience ever marred the perfection of their peace and resignation to the will of God. How different from myself, who am so anxious and troubled about the future!

2. During all this time St. Joseph supported his holy spouse and the Infant Jesus by working at his trade of a carpenter. They often felt the pinch of poverty, but never wanted for bread. God forsakes not His own, though He sometimes tries them to the very edge of their powers of endurance. He will not forsake me if I put my trust in Him.

3. How little the people of Egypt knew Who it was that dwelt for these long years amongst them! If they had known it, they would eagerly have cast aside their idols, and thrown themselves at the feet of the King of heaven and earth. So if those outside the Catholic Church knew that on every altar God Himself dwells in the Blessed Sacrament, how they would come in crowds to make their humble submission to Him! Hence teach a great charity to those outside the Church of Christ. It is often ignorance, not malice, that stands in the way of their conversion."

Meditations for Christmas . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891